Bin sweep auger unplugging system

ABSTRACT

A bin sweep auger unplugging system for unplugging a central unloading sump in a storage bin. The bin sweep auger unplugging system generally includes an auger having a driven shaft with auger fighting, a drive unit having a drive shaft, and a clutch connected between the drive shaft and the driven shaft. The clutch selectively transfers the rotation of the drive shaft to the driven shaft of the auger. The drive shaft includes a clump breakup component that breaks up the clump of granular material above the unloading sump when the drive shaft is rotated. The clutch is disengaged when breaking up a clump of granular material to prevent the rotation of the auger.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/973,134 filed on Dec. 17, 2015 which issues as U.S. Pat. No.9,950,872 on Apr. 24, 2018, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/261,304 filed Nov. 30, 2015. Each of theaforementioned patent applications, and any applications relatedthereto, is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a sweep auger and morespecifically it relates to a bin sweep auger unplugging system forunplugging a central sump in a storage bin.

Description of the Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should inno way be considered as an admission that such related art is widelyknown or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Sweep augers have been in use for years to unload grain, granularmaterial and other particulate material from storage bins. Aconventional sweep auger is radially disposed and rotates about itslongitudinal axis to draw the granular material to an unloading sumpcentrally positioned in an elevated floor of the storage bin. The sweepauger revolves around a central vertical axis to advance across theelevated floor of the bin in a sweeping action. The auger shafttypically is rotated by a drive assembly connected to the radial innerend of the shaft. A drive wheel is attached to the sweep auger to rotatethe sweep auger around the floor of the storage bin. The drive wheel issometimes attached to the radial outer end of the auger shaft forrotation therewith to support the outer portion of the auger as well asto assist in driving the auger in a sweeping motion in the storage bin.

To unload the storage bin, the granular material (e.g. grain) is gravityfed through the unload sump in the floor of the storage bin and drawnthrough an unloading conveyor (e.g. auger conveyor) that is positionedbelow the floor. The granular material is drawn through the unloadingconveyor to outside of the storage bin for loading onto a transportdevice such as a grain truck.

One problem encountered with conventional sweep augers is that thegranular material above the opening of the unloading sump in the floorof the storage bin may clump together preventing the free flow ofgranular material through the unloading sump. Clumping may occur invarious different ways and locations within the storage bin. Forexample, when the grain on the upper surface is moldy or frozen togetherthe “grain bridge” eventually collapses with the clumps of grain beingdrawn downwardly to the unloading sump and blocking the entrance of theunloading sump. When clumping occurs above the unloading sump, thegranular material is unable to be unloaded from the storage bin untilthe clump is broken up manually or the granular material is unloadedthrough an alternative unloading system which can significantly delaythe unloading of the storage bin. The operator also can't rotate thesweep auger when the storage bin is full because rotating the sweepauger with the storage bin full (or having a significant volume ofgranular material) could damage the sweep auger or the drive system forthe sweep auger.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided herein is a sweep auger which includes an auger having a drivenshaft with auger fighting, a drive unit having a drive shaft, and aclutch connected between the drive shaft and the driven shaft. Theclutch selectively transfers the rotation of the drive shaft to thedriven shaft of the auger. The drive shaft includes a clump breakupcomponent that breaks up the clump of granular material above theunloading sump when the drive shaft is rotated. The clutch is disengagedwhen breaking up a clump of granular material to prevent the rotation ofthe auger.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features ofthe invention in order that the detailed description thereof may bebetter understood, and in order that the present contribution to the artmay be better appreciated. There are additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and that will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, beforeexplaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction or to the arrangements of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of thedescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a bin sweep auger unplugging system within astorage bin.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the bin sweep auger unplugging system within astorage bin.

FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of one embodiment of the bin sweepauger unplugging system.

FIG. 4a is a magnified upper perspective view of FIG. 3 with the driveshaft rotating in a first direction with the clutch engaging the drivenshaft thereby rotating the auger in the same direction to move thegranular material inwardly toward the unloading sump.

FIG. 4b is a magnified upper perspective view of FIG. 3 with the driveshaft rotating in a second direction with the clutch disengaging therebynot rotating the auger while allowing the drive shaft to freely rotateto dislodge any clumping near the unloading sump.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the bin sweep auger unplugging system.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the bin sweep auger unplugging system.

FIG. 7a is a front view of a first alternative embodiment of the binsweep auger unplugging system with the clutch engaged.

FIG. 7b is a front view of the first alternative embodiment of the binsweep auger unplugging system with the fasteners removed to disengagethe clutch.

FIG. 8 is an exploded front view of the first alternative embodiment ofthe bin sweep auger unplugging system.

FIG. 9a is a magnified upper perspective view of the first alternativeembodiment of the bin sweep auger unplugging system.

FIG. 9b is an exploded magnified upper perspective view of the firstalternative embodiment of the bin sweep auger unplugging system.

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 7 a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A. Overview.

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar referencecharacters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1through 10 illustrate a bin sweep auger unplugging system, whichcomprises an auger 60 having a driven shaft 62 with auger fighting 64, adrive unit 30 having a drive shaft 40, and a clutch 50 connected betweenthe drive shaft 40 and the driven shaft 62. The clutch 50 selectivelytransfers the rotation of the drive shaft 40 to the driven shaft 62 ofthe auger 60. The drive shaft 40 includes a clump breakup component 42that breaks up the clump of granular material above the unloading sump16 when the drive shaft 40 is rotated. The clutch 50 is disengaged whenbreaking up a clump of granular material to prevent the rotation of theauger 60. The drive shaft 40 and the driven shaft 62 may be tubular,solid or hybrid structures.

The present invention may be utilized in various types of storage bins10 such as, but not limited to, grain bins. The storage bins 10 may alsohave various shapes such as, but not limited to, circular storage bins10. The storage bin 10 may receive, store and unload various types ofgranular materials such as, but not limited to, grain. The storage bins10 also may have an elevated perforated floor 14 for drying the grain orother granular material. The storage bins 10 have at least one wall 12(e.g. circular wall 12 as shown in FIG. 2) and a ceiling. The storagebins 10 are constructed of various types of materials such as metal.

B. Auger.

The auger 60 has a driven shaft 62 with auger fighting 64 as illustratedin FIGS. 1 through 9 b of the drawings. The auger 60 is positioned nearor adjacent the upper surface of the floor 14 of the storage bin 10 asshown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The auger 60 radially extends outwardlyfrom a central vertical axis in the storage bin 10 (preferably thecenter axis of a circular storage bin 10) and rotates around the centralvertical axis to clean the upper surface of the floor 14 of granularmaterial such as grain.

The auger 60 is similar to a conventional sweep auger that is radiallydisposed in the storage bin 10 and rotates about its longitudinal axisto draw the granular material to an unloading sump 16 centrallypositioned in an elevated floor 14 of the storage bin 10. The sweepauger 60 revolves around a central vertical axis to advance across theelevated floor 14 of the bin 10 in a sweeping action. A drive wheel 66is attached to the auger 60 to rotate the auger 60 around the floor ofthe storage bin 10. The drive wheel 66 may be attached to the radialouter end of the driven shaft 62 for rotation therewith to support theouter portion of the auger 60 as well as to assist in driving the auger60 in a sweeping motion in the storage bin 10.

The inner end of the auger 60 is rotatably supported by a supportbearing 63 attached to the backboard 68, wherein the support bearing 63rotatably supports the driven shaft 62 of the auger 60. The innerportion of the upper edge 69 of the backboard 68 is preferably below theheight of at least some of the upper extending projections 42 to preventa clump from resting on the backboard 68 above the upper ends of theprojections 42. FIG. 5 provides an illustration where the radialelongated members 42 that extend upwardly from the drive shaft 40 extendabove the upper edge 69 of the backboard 68. The remaining portion ofthe backboard extending from the inner portion to the outer end of thebackboard 68 may have a height above auger fighting 64. The auger 60 isconnected to the drive unit 30 by a clutch 50 which controls theengagement and disengagement of the auger 60 by the drive unit 30. Theauger 60 further includes a drive wheel 66 connected to the driven shaft62 at the distal end of the auger 60 that causes the auger 60 to rotatewithin the storage bin 10 upon the floor 14. U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,329illustrates an exemplary sweep auger system and is hereby incorporatedby reference herein.

C. Drive Unit.

The drive unit 30 has a drive shaft 40 that is connected to the clutch50. The drive shaft 40 may be a single rigid shaft or separated intomultiple portions with a universal joint 44 positioned between theseparate portions as illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 9 b of the drawings.

The drive shaft 40 preferably includes one or more types of clumpbreakup projections 42 that extend outwardly from the drive shaft 40 toengage and breakup clumps of granular material. Examples of suitableprojections 42 include, but are not limited to, fighting (having thesame or different pitch and/or diameter as the auger fighting 64) and/orelongated members that extend outwardly from the drive shaft 40.Examples of suitable elongated members teeth, straight shafts (hollow orsolid), curved shafts, paddles, pins, and/or tines extending outwardly(e.g. radially) from the drive shaft 40 as illustrated in FIGS. 1through 9 b of the drawings. While not required, the projections 42 arepreferably constructed of a rigid material and structure such as metal.

Various combinations of one or more different types of projections 42may be used. For example, fighting in combination with a plurality ofshafts may be used as illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 9 b of thedrawings. To further this example, the shafts may be separate from theflighting (see FIG. 7a ) or adjacent to the fighting (see FIGS. 3through 4 b). In addition, the shafts may be attached to the flightingor not attached to the fighting extending from the drive shaft 40. Inaddition, the shafts may extend outwardly beyond the radius/diameter ofthe flighting attached to the flighting as illustrated in FIGS. 5through 9 b of the drawings. The shafts may extend outwardly in a radialmanner at various angles with respect to the longitudinal axis of thedrive shaft 40. As another example, only fighting or only shafts may beused on the drive shaft 40. As another example, the fighting may haveserrated edges or notches in the outer edge to better engage and breakupthe clumps. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, theprojections 42 may be comprised of any physical structure capable ofeffectively breaking up clumps of granular material such as frozen ormoldy grain clumps. It is preferable that the projections 42 becomprised of the combination of a fighting to move the granular materialand elongated members extending outwardly (and above the inner upperedge 69 of the backboard 68) as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 10 of thedrawings.

Various types and numbers of projections 42 that extend outwardly fromthe drive shaft 40 may be used to construct the clump breakup projection42 such that the projection(s) 42 breaks up the clump(s) of granularmaterial (e.g. frozen or moldy grain clump) that are near and/or abovethe opening of the unloading sump 16 thereby breaking apart the clumpswhen the drive shaft 40 is rotated. It should be noted that when inclump breakup mode, the drive shaft 40 rotates with the clutch 50disengaged so that the auger 60 does not rotate with the drive shaft 40.After the grain is allowed to discharge via the unloading sump 16sufficiently to allow for operation of the auger 60, then the clutch 50is engaged thereby mechanically coupling the rotation of the drive shaft40 with the driven shaft 62 of the auger 60.

FIGS. 1 through 8 illustrate the drive unit 30 as being comprised of afirst gearbox 31 connected to the unloading shaft 24 of the unloadingconveyor 20 and a second gearbox 36 connected to the first gearbox 31 bya connecting shaft 34. The first gearbox 31 and the second gearbox 36may be comprised of 90 degree gearboxes as illustrated in the drawings.The second gear box 36 is above the floor 14 and the first gear box 31is below the floor 14 of the storage bin 10 as best illustrated in FIG.1 of the drawings. The second gearbox 36 rotates along with the positionof the auger 60 positioned on the floor 14 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

A control member 32 (e.g. lever) is connected to the first gearbox 31 tocontrol the rotational direction of the connecting shaft 34 extendingupwardly from the first gearbox 31 thereby controlling the rotationaldirection of the drive shaft 40 connected to the first gearbox 31. Thecontrol member 32 may be activated remotely from outside of the storagebin 10 by a user manually (e.g. rod, cable) or an electric actuator(e.g. wireless remote control, wired remote control).

Alternatively, the drive unit 30 may be comprised of a motorized devicesuch as a hydraulic motor 22 or an electric motor 22 that may allow forreversing of the rotational direction. If the drive unit 30 is comprisedof a motorized device, then there is no need for gearboxes.

D. Unloading Conveyor.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an example of an unloading conveyor 20 that isfluidly connected to the unloading sump 16 of the storage bin 10. Theunloading conveyor 20 extends outside of the storage bin 10 and has adischarge opening 21 for discharging the granular material (e.g. grain)to a transport device such as a truck or trailer. A motor 22 is attachedto the unloading conveyor 20 to drive the unloading conveyor 20. Theunloading conveyor 20 may be comprised of any type of conveyor structuresuch as, but not limited to, a belt conveyor or auger type of conveyor.It is preferable that the unloading conveyor 20 is comprised of an augerconveyor having an unloading shaft 24 with unloading fighting 26 asillustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

E. Clutch.

The clutch 50 is connected between the drive shaft 40 and the drivenshaft 62 to selectively transfer the rotation of the drive shaft 40 tothe driven shaft 62 of the auger 60. The drive shaft 40 is connected toa first side of the clutch 50 and the driven shaft 62 is connected tothe second side of the clutch 50.

The drive shaft 40 includes at least one clump breakup projection 42that breaks up the clump of granular material above the unloading sump16 when the drive shaft 40 is rotated. The clutch 50 may also includeone or more projections 42 extending outwardly from the body of theclutch 50 to assist in moving granular material inwardly toward theunloading sump 16 and/or to breakup clumps of granular material.

The clutch 50 is disengaged when breaking up a clump of granularmaterial to prevent the transfer of rotational power from the driveshaft 40 to the auger 60. The clutch 50 may be comprised of varioustypes of devices capable of engaging and disengaging the rotationalmotion of the drive shaft 40 to the driven shaft 62 of the auger 60. Theclutch 50 is preferably concentrically positioned with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the drive shaft 40 and the driven shaft 62.Furthermore, one or more projections 42 may extend outwardly from theclutch 50.

For example, the clutch 50 may be comprised of a one-way clutch such asan overrunning clutch (a.k.a. one-way freewheel clutch) which engagesthe driven shaft 62 of the auger 60 when rotated by the drive shaft 40in a first rotational direction (see FIG. 4a for an example) and thatdisengages the driven shaft 62 of the auger 60 when rotated by the driveshaft 40 in a second rotation direction that is opposite of the firstrotational direction (see FIG. 4b for an example). The overrunningclutch may be comprised of a sprag overrunning clutch or a ramp androller overrunning clutch. The clutch 50 engages when the drive shaft 40rotates in a first direction thereby rotating the entire auger 60 anddisengages (i.e. freewheels) when the drive shaft 40 rotates in a seconddirection that is opposite of the first direction thereby freelyrotating with respect to the driven shaft 62 of the auger 60.

FIGS. 7a through 9b illustrate an alternative embodiment of the clutch50 comprised of fasteners (e.g. bolts) that are manually removed frombetween the drive shaft 40 and the driven shaft 62 thereby disconnectingthe two shafts from one another when the storage bin 10 is filled withgrain. As shown in FIGS. 7a through 9b , the drive shaft 40 includes adistal portion 46 that includes at least one aperture 48 and an endopening 61 within the inner end of the driven shaft 62 that rotatablyreceives the distal portion 46 of the drive shaft 40. Alternatively, itcan be appreciated that the end opening 61 may extend into the distalend of the drive shaft 40 to rotatably receive the inner end of thedriven shaft 62. A bushing 70 may be positioned within the lumen of theend opening 61 of the driven shaft 62 as shown in FIG. 9b of thedrawings. The distal portion 46 of the drive shaft 40 includes at leastone aperture 48 and the inner portion of the driven shaft 62 includes atleast one aperture 67 that corresponds to the apertures 48 of the driveshaft 40 so that one or more fasteners 65 may be inserted (or removed)through the apertures 48, 67 to engage the manual clutch 50 by lockingthe drive shaft 40 with the driven shaft 62. When the fasteners 65 areremoved from the apertures 48, 67, the drive shaft 40 is able to rotatefreely from the driven shaft 62 thereby not rotating the auger 60. Thefigures illustrate the apertures 48, 67 and corresponding fasteners 65as having aligned longitudinal axis, however, it can be appreciated thathaving the apertures 48, 67 aligned approximately 90 degrees withrespect to one another so the apertures 48, 67 are transverse to oneanother can be used to evenly transfer the forces encountered.

The alternative embodiment shown in FIGS. 7a through 10 allows the driveshaft 40 to rotate freely with respect to the driven shaft 62 after thestorage bin 10 is filled with grain to allow for unclogging theunloading sump 16 as illustrated in FIG. 7b . After the grain level inthe storage bin 10 has lowered to a sufficient level to expose theclutch 50, the user then inserts the fasteners 65 to mechanicallyconnect to the drive shaft 40 to the driven shaft 62 of the auger 60 toprevent rotation of the two shafts with respect to one another andthereby allowing the drive shaft 40 to rotatably drive the driven shaft62 of the auger 60 to sweep the grain into the unloading sump 16 and anyauxiliary sumps 18 as shown in FIGS. 7a and 9 a.

The clutch 50 may be remote controlled and/or mechanically actuated byan actuator (e.g. hydraulic actuator, electric actuator and the like).For example, the clutch may be comprised of a friction clutch that ismanipulated by an actuator. Various other types of clutches 50 may beutilized with the present invention that are capable of engaging anddisengaging to selectively lock or unlock the rotation of the driveshaft 40 with the driven shaft 62 of the auger 60.

F. Operation.

The following discussion relates to grain and grain bins, but it can beappreciated the sweep auger unplugging system may be used with variousother types of granular material and storage bins 10. Furthermore, theexample provided below relates to the one-way clutch embodiment andshould not be considered limiting the scope of the function or types ofclutches the invention is comprised of (see above discussion relating tothe operation of other types of clutches).

In use, the sweep auger unplugging system may be used as anyconventional type of sweep auger. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the sweepauger unplugging system positioned within a storage bin 10 such as acircular grain bin 10. The sweep auger 60 draws the grain inwardlytoward the central portion of the storage bin 10 to pass through theunloading sump 16 wherein the grain is then gravity fed downwardly tothe unloading conveyor 20 which removes the grain from the storage bin10 to the outside of the storage bin 10 for removal and transport.

In a situation where the storage bin 10 is completely full or partiallyfull with grain, the grain may form clumps because of various reasonssuch as freezing or mold. The grain clumps are eventually drawndownwardly towards the unloading sump 16 where the grain clumps blockthe free flow of grain into the unloading sump 16 thereby preventing theunloading of the grain from the storage bin 10. When the operatordetermines that a grain clump exists that is blocking the unloading sump16, the operator may manipulate the lever 32 from outside of the storagebin 10 (e.g. with an elongated rod, cable, wireless remote control thatcontrols an actuator or other device connected to the lever 32) into an“unplug position” which reverses the rotation of the drive shaft 40 to asecond direction as shown in FIG. 4b . Once the lever 32 is moved to theunplug position, the operator then activates the motor 22 which drivesthe unloading conveyor 20 in a first direction which then rotates theconnecting shaft 34 in a second direction (by the first gearbox 31)which then rotates the drive shaft 40 in a second direction (by thesecond gearbox 36) as shown in FIG. 4b . When the drive shaft 40 rotatesin the second direction, the one-way clutch 50 disengages and does notrotate the driven shaft 62 of the auger 60 thereby allowing the driveshaft 40 along with the projections 42 to rotate to break up the grainclump that is plugging the unloading sump 16. Once the operatordetermines that grain is again freely flowing from the unloadingconveyor 20 the operator manipulates the lever 32 into a “neutralposition” so that the connecting shaft 34 is not rotated therebyallowing for the unloading of the grain without rotating the drive shaft40. After the level of grain falls to a level suitable for operation ofthe auger 60, the operator manipulates the position of the lever 32 intoa “unload position”. Once the lever 32 is moved to the unload position,the operator then activates the motor 22 which drives the unloadingconveyor 20 in the first direction which then rotates the connectingshaft 34 in a first direction (by the first gearbox 31) which thenrotates the drive shaft 40 in a first direction (by the second gearbox36) as shown in FIG. 4a . With the drive shaft 40 rotating in the firstdirection, the clutch 50 engages the driven shaft 62 to rotate the auger60 to move the grain inwardly toward the unloading sump 16 in thecentral portion of the storage bin 10 for unloading similar to aconventional sweep auger. As the auger 60 rotates, the drive wheel 66moves the distal end of the auger 60 about a central vertical axis ofthe storage bin 10 to clean the floor 14 of the storage bin 10 as shownin FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materialssimilar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in thepractice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods andmaterials are described above. All publications, patent applications,patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated byreference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law andregulations. The present invention may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof,and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered inall respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilizedwithin the description are for convenience only and have no legal orlimiting effect.

What is claimed is:
 1. A bin sweep auger, comprising: a backboard; adrive shaft having an inner end and an outer end; a first fightingextending from the drive shaft; a drive unit connected to the inner endof the drive shaft, wherein the drive unit is configured to selectivelyrotate the drive shaft in a first direction or a second direction,wherein the first direction is opposite of the second direction; adriven shaft having an inner end and an outer end, wherein the drivenshaft is rotatably connected to the backboard; a second flightingextending from the driven shaft; a clutch connected between the driveshaft and the driven shaft; wherein the outer end of the drive shaft isconnected to the first side of the clutch; wherein the inner end of thedriven shaft is connected to the second side of the clutch; wherein theclutch is configured for engaging or disengaging to selectively lock orunlock the rotation of the drive shaft with the driven shaft; whereinthe drive unit is comprised of a motor connected to at least one gearboxthat rotates the drive shaft in the first direction or the seconddirection; wherein the at least one gearbox is comprised of a firstgearbox connected to an unloading conveyor and a second gearboxconnected to the first gearbox by a connecting shaft, wherein the driveshaft extends from the second gearbox; and a control member connected tothe first gearbox, wherein the control member controls the rotationaldirection of the connecting shaft.
 2. The bin sweep auger of claim 1,wherein the first flighting and the second fighting have the sameflighting direction.
 3. The bin sweep auger of claim 1, wherein thefirst flighting and the second fighting have the same pitch.
 4. The binsweep auger of claim 1, wherein the first flighting and the secondfighting have the same diameter.
 5. The bin sweep auger of claim 1,including a plurality of projections extending from the drive shaft,wherein the projections are adapted for breaking up clumps of granularmaterial.
 6. The bin sweep auger of claim 5, wherein the projections areeach comprised of an elongated member extending outwardly from the driveshaft.
 7. The bin sweep auger of claim 6, wherein the projections eachextend outwardly and radially from the drive shaft.
 8. The bin sweepauger of claim 6, wherein the projections are each comprised of teeth ortines.
 9. The bin sweep auger of claim 6, wherein the projections areeach comprised of straight shafts.
 10. The bin sweep auger of claim 1,wherein the clutch is comprised of a one-way clutch, wherein the clutchengages when the drive shaft rotates in the first direction so that thedrive shaft rotates the driven shaft in the first direction, and whereinthe clutch disengages when the drive shaft rotates in a second directionso that the drive shaft does not rotate the driven shaft.
 11. The binsweep auger of claim 1, wherein the clutch is concentrically positionedwith respect to the drive shaft and the driven shaft.
 12. The bin sweepauger of claim 1, wherein the clutch is comprised of a manual clutch.13. The bin sweep auger of claim 1, wherein the clutch is comprised ofthe outer end of the drive shaft being rotatably connected to the innerend of the driven shaft and a fastener removably extending through anaperture within the drive shaft and the driven shaft.
 14. The bin sweepauger of claim 1, wherein the clutch is remote controlled to selectivelyengage or disengage.
 15. The bin sweep auger of claim 1, wherein theclutch is mechanically actuated by an actuator to selectively engage ordisengage.
 16. The bin sweep auger of claim 1, wherein the motor iscomprised of a reversible motor that rotates the drive shaft in thefirst direction or the second direction.
 17. The bin sweep auger ofclaim 16, wherein the reversible motor is comprised of an electricmotor.
 18. The bin sweep auger of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft ispositioned above an unloading sump in a storage bin.
 19. A method ofusing the bin sweep auger of claim 1, comprising the steps of: rotatingthe drive shaft in the first direction by the drive unit to unload grainfrom a grain bin; determining that a grain clump exists that is blockingthe free flow of grain into an unloading sump in the grain bin; rotatingthe drive shaft in the second direction by the drive unit to disengagethe clutch after determining that a grain clump exists; and breaking upthe grain clump by the rotation of the drive shaft in the seconddirection.
 20. A bin sweep auger, comprising: a backboard; a drive shafthaving an inner end and an outer end; a first fighting extending fromthe drive shaft; a drive unit connected to the inner end of the driveshaft, wherein the drive unit is configured to selectively rotate thedrive shaft in a first direction or a second direction, wherein thefirst direction is opposite of the second direction; a driven shafthaving an inner end and an outer end, wherein the driven shaft isrotatably connected to the backboard; a second flighting extending fromthe driven shaft; a clutch connected between the drive shaft and thedriven shaft; wherein the outer end of the drive shaft is connected tothe first side of the clutch; wherein the inner end of the driven shaftis connected to the second side of the clutch; wherein the clutch isconfigured for engaging or disengaging to selectively lock or unlock therotation of the drive shaft with the driven shaft; wherein the firstflighting and the second flighting have the same flighting direction; aplurality of projections extending from the drive shaft, wherein theprojections are adapted for breaking up clumps of granular material;wherein the projections are each comprised of an elongated memberextending outwardly from the drive shaft; wherein the drive unit iscomprised of a motor connected to at least one gearbox that rotates thedrive shaft in the first direction or the second direction; wherein theat least one gearbox is comprised of a first gearbox connected to anunloading conveyor and a second gearbox connected to the first gearboxby a connecting shaft, wherein the drive shaft extends from the secondgearbox; and a control member connected to the first gearbox, whereinthe control member controls the rotational direction of the connectingshaft.
 21. The bin sweep auger of claim 20, wherein the projections eachextend outwardly and radially from the drive shaft.
 22. The bin sweepauger of claim 20, wherein the projections are each comprised of teethor tines.
 23. The bin sweep auger of claim 20, wherein the projectionsare each comprised of straight shafts.
 24. A bin sweep auger,comprising: a backboard; a drive shaft having an inner end and an outerend; a first fighting extending from the drive shaft; at least onegearbox connected to the inner end of the drive shaft, a motor connectedto the at least one gearbox; wherein the at least one gearbox and motorare configured to selectively rotate the drive shaft in a firstdirection or a second direction, wherein the first direction is oppositeof the second direction; a driven shaft having an inner end and an outerend, wherein the driven shaft is rotatably connected to the backboard; asecond flighting extending from the driven shaft; a clutch connectedbetween the drive shaft and the driven shaft; wherein the clutch isconcentrically positioned with respect to the drive shaft and the drivenshaft; wherein the outer end of the drive shaft is connected to thefirst side of the clutch; wherein the inner end of the driven shaft isconnected to the second side of the clutch; wherein the clutch isconfigured for engaging or disengaging to selectively lock or unlock therotation of the drive shaft with the driven shaft; wherein the clutch iscomprised of a one-way clutch, wherein the clutch engages when the driveshaft rotates in the first direction so that the drive shaft rotates thedriven shaft in the first direction, and wherein the clutch disengageswhen the drive shaft rotates in a second direction so that the driveshaft does not rotate the driven shaft; wherein the first flighting andthe second fighting have the same flighting direction; and a pluralityof projections extending from the drive shaft, wherein the projectionsare adapted for breaking up clumps of granular material; wherein theprojections are each comprised of an elongated member extendingoutwardly from the drive shaft; wherein the at least one gearbox iscomprised of a first gearbox connected to an unloading conveyor and asecond gearbox connected to the first gearbox by a connecting shaft,wherein the drive shaft extends from the second gearbox; and a controlmember connected to the first gearbox, wherein the control membercontrols the rotational direction of the connecting shaft.
 25. The binsweeper of claim 24, wherein the motor is comprised of a reversiblemotor.
 26. The bin sweep auger of claim 24, wherein the drive shaft ispositioned above an unloading sump in a storage bin.
 27. A method ofusing a bin sweep auger having a backboard, a drive shaft having aninner end and an outer end, a first fighting extending from the driveshaft, a drive unit connected to the inner end of the drive shaft,wherein the drive unit is configured to selectively rotate the driveshaft in a first direction or a second direction, wherein the firstdirection is opposite of the second direction, a driven shaft having aninner end and an outer end, wherein the driven shaft is rotatablyconnected to the backboard, a second fighting extending from the drivenshaft, a clutch connected between the drive shaft and the driven shaft,wherein the outer end of the drive shaft is connected to the first sideof the clutch, wherein the inner end of the driven shaft is connected tothe second side of the clutch, and wherein the clutch is configured forengaging or disengaging to selectively lock or unlock the rotation ofthe drive shaft with the driven shaft, said method comprising: rotatingthe drive shaft in the first direction by the drive unit to unload grainfrom a grain bin; determining that a grain clump exists that is blockingthe free flow of grain into an unloading sump in the grain bin; rotatingthe drive shaft in the second direction by the drive unit to disengagethe clutch after determining that a grain clump exists; and breaking upthe grain clump by the rotation of the drive shaft in the seconddirection.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first fighting andthe second fighting have the same flighting direction.
 29. The method ofclaim 27, wherein the first fighting and the second flighting have thesame pitch.
 30. The method of claim 27, including a plurality ofprojections extending from the drive shaft, wherein the projections areadapted for breaking up clumps of granular material.
 31. The method ofclaim 30, wherein the projections are each comprised of an elongatedmember extending outwardly from the drive shaft.
 32. The method of claim30, wherein the projections each extend outwardly and radially from thedrive shaft.
 33. The method of claim 30, wherein the projections areeach comprised of teeth or tines.
 34. The method of claim 30, whereinthe projections are each comprised of straight shafts.
 35. The method ofclaim 27, wherein the clutch is comprised of a one-way clutch, whereinthe clutch engages when the drive shaft rotates in the first directionso that the drive shaft rotates the driven shaft in the first direction,and wherein the clutch disengages when the drive shaft rotates in asecond direction so that the drive shaft does not rotate the drivenshaft.
 36. The method of claim 27, wherein the clutch is concentricallypositioned with respect to the drive shaft and the driven shaft.
 37. Themethod of claim 27, wherein the clutch is comprised of a manual clutch.38. The method of claim 27, wherein the clutch is comprised of the outerend of the drive shaft being rotatably connected to the inner end of thedriven shaft and a fastener removably extending through an aperturewithin the drive shaft and the driven shaft.
 39. The method of claim 27,wherein the clutch is remote controlled to selectively engage ordisengage.
 40. The method of claim 27, wherein the clutch ismechanically actuated by an actuator to selectively engage or disengage.41. The method of claim 27, wherein the drive unit is comprised of areversible motor that rotates the drive shaft in the first direction orthe second direction.
 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the reversiblemotor is comprised of an electric motor.